The subject matter disclosed herein relates generally to apparatus and methods for providing a locking clutch assembly, for example a locking clutch assembly configured to control movement of a table arm for a medical imaging system.
Lockable clutches may be used in a variety of contexts. In some applications, it may be desirable to have a clutch that is locking or lockable over one range or direction, but free to rotate over another range or direction. For example, an arm board on a patient table for medical imaging may be required to be lockable in one direction over a first range but not over a second range. It may be impractical or challenging for an operator to access or utilize a locking mechanism for releasing a lock over the second range. Further, currently available one-way clutches that satisfy loading requirements for a medical imaging table arm may be impractically large, and additionally may utilize ferrous materials that present drawbacks in a magnetic resonance imaging context.